The upcoming iPhone 12 isn't due to be affected by Covid-19, a new report claims, despite the widespread complications for the tech industry caused by the ongoing pandemic.
This report comes from Bloomberg, and it details how Apple's supply chain is being affected by coronavirus. The impact is happening both in China (where Apple's production plants are) and abroad in other countries (where Apple's parts providers have factories).
According to the report, iPhone 12 units, including the anticipated 5G iPhone, aren't due to start being manufactured until May. It may be that production in China and in other markets could have resumed by that stage, although that's currently uncertain.
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Effects of coronavirus
When the coronavirus outbreak started in China, many factories and production plants closed, or at least slowed production, and as a result certain iPhones like the iPhone 11 series were harder to come by in some stores.
Although this is positive news for anyone excited for the iPhone 12, Bloomberg's report also cites a source that says there's always the chance the timeline could slip if the company is unable to resolve issues in factories later in the year.
It seems that Chinese manufacturing may be resuming production on Apple devices though. An industry rumor from the last few days suggested the affordable iPhone 9, which Apple was expected to launch in mid-2020, has now entered full-scale production.
In addition, the new iPad Pro 2020 models and new MacBook Air laptops were unveiled just days before the report. Bloomberg suggests these devices were likely manufactured in early January before China's lockdown took place.
It seems that the main effect of coronavirus on Apple's products was the reduced number of units of iPhone 11 devices.
We've started to hear rumors on what the next iPhone 12 series will be like, but with a launch event expected some time in September 2020, based on Apple's annual schedule, these are likely still a long way off.
